Trading the Genome: Investigating the commodification of bio-information by Bronwyn Parry

TIME was when genomes and the information they contained existed in cells. Then they became the elite playthings of a rarefied scientific few. Now bio-prospectors are combing the globe for genetic oddities, genomes can be cloned with facility and their information downloaded and exchanged with impunity. It is clear the question of who owns what is becoming ever more acute.

Bronwyn Parry, a senior research fellow in geography, explores the burgeoning economy of bioinformatics. She considers the ethical and economic consequences of a lucrative industry that has lawyers playing near-perpetual catch-up.

Parry has a clear, incisive style and a strong grasp of genetic techniques, their computer-based exploitation and social consequences, making Trading the Genome a forceful, considered and thought-provoking analysis of one of the most important issues of our time.

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